In the manufacture of heating assemblies for use in clothes dryers, it is common practice to mount a helical coil on insulators relative to a heating housing. Electrical connection of electrical energy to the heating coils is typically provided through a terminal assembly mounted in a sidewall of the heater housing comprising an electrical connector terminal and an insulator.
One such terminal assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,126 issued to Jimmy L. Sherrill on Apr. 22, 1997. This patent teaches a two piece ceramic insulator comprising male and female parts which cooperate with a relatively flat or blade like terminal connector passing through the male and female members. This two piece ceramic insulator requires the assembly of the two parts relative to the supporting wall and must be held in place while a relatively flat connector terminal blade is passed through a center aperture in the male and female parts. The flat terminal blade has tabs which engage the female portion of the ceramic insulator to limit the travel of the blade terminal through the ceramic insulator. The other end of the terminal blade must be bent in order to maintain the male and female insulator members in mating relationship. This insulator is difficult to assemble because it requires holding the male and female members together while the terminal blade is passed through the insulators. Further, the terminal blade is crimped onto the end of a regular terminal. Accordingly, a disadvantage associated with this ceramic terminal insulator assembly is that it is difficult and labour intensive to assemble through the supporting wall of the heater assembly.